Facebook

Monday 5 March 2018

Nigeria's Democracy And Its Crisis Deliberate, Avoidable: Free speech becomes blasphamous, death by hanging

"Holding your government to account is not opposition, it is citizenship and it is your duty. Please don't be bullied out of doing it"-Governor Nasir EL-Rufai of Kaduna State, Nigeria. Photo: Uche Okeke

 Free speech helps us to know the truth and hold the government to account, however this doesn't seem to be the case in today's Nigeria. The government is seeking coercive powers to violently repress the citizens -death by hanging for what it describes as hate speech. It's absolutely very clear that democracy is not at work if this moral obligation is repressed by superior interests. The whole idea is to plunge us into anarchy -18th century 'political shackles' which destroyed development and human progress.

Our democracy has become a sacred religion of which in the words of  Durkheim; '' man is at the same time, both believer and god''. This kind of doctrine is 'anarchical', unacceptable in the 21st century. According to Durkheim; "Whoever makes an attempt on a man's life, on a man's liberty, on a man's honour, inspires us with a feeling of revulusion"[Durkheim on Politics and the State; Edited by Anthony Giddens]

We must resist this tragedy which confront us. This is a threat to our collective being, political freedom and progress. A calculated attempt to break our spirit to ask the important questions about our collective future in the face of the sad reality- 'gloom and despondency'.

Free speech; the right to freedom of thought, freedom to write, freedom of expression and freedom to vote are the primary values necessary to achieve human progress. Today our politicians have become "sacrosanct objects", where any questions about accountability becomes balspamous. They are 'gods' of the universe who determine people's life and death, what a society!

We must reject and resist the Senate's proposed bill to control freedom of speech in Nigeria, and vote against any Senator that sponsors or support such barbaric bills in the 21st century. Instead of worrying about the looming impact of globalisation and technology, and how to improve human lives , human security and human progress- Education, Healthcare, Jobs, Electricity, Internet/Broadband, Housing, Transport, etc, someone is seeking a bill to empower him to hang innocent people in the 21st century. May God have mercy. "Some of themost disheartening examples of political stagnation, democratic backsliding and state failure" is now evident in today's Nigeria.

Uche Okeke is the Founder of The LEAD Project Foundation- The Voice of the Poor.

No comments:

Post a Comment

The LEAD Project Foundation